Retirement

How to Delay Taking Social Security Benefits Until You Absolutely Have To

I recently heard about a man who was retired longer than he worked, retiring at 52 and living well into his 90’s. There’s a life worth...
Social Security Identity Theft

Oops. I Gave My Social Security Number to a Stranger

Life can get hectic and, while media attention on big data breaches has certainly put folks on high alert, there are times when you slip and give...
Student loan

Parents Increasingly Expect Kids to Pay for College

With college tuitions skyrocketing, it’s no surprise parents are worried whether they have enough to cover the cost. According to the fifth annual survey from...
Tax fraud

Why the IRS Needs to Stop Letting Taxpayers Use Stolen Social Security Numbers

While you’d never know it if you listen to politicians on the right and left argue, there are some truths out there, things that...
Data Breach

Nearly All Data Breaches Happen in Minutes, Report Finds

Most data breaches happen fast — in a matter of minutes, according to a new Verizon report — but the impact on you and your...
mortgage

How Your Credit Card Can Keep You From Buying a Home

New changes coming to Fannie Mae’s automated underwriting system next month could have prospective homebuyers rethinking how they pay their credit card bills. Here’s...
credit score

The New FICO Score: What It Means for You

If you’ve always maintained a strong payment history with your cellphone and cable bills and want a little credit for it, you may be in luck. Credit-scoring...

Ransomware Is a Real Threat (Even to You, Apple Users)

Maybe the thought actually occurred to you that something was “phishy” about that link, but that’s so 30 seconds ago. You clicked and now...

Why You Need to Check If Your Child Has a Credit Report

Imagine a 9-year-old swimming in credit card debt. Or a 13-year-old being hounded by bill collectors. Sound ridiculous? Well these are very real scenarios. It...
Divorce

8 Steps to Rebuild Your Financial Life After Divorce

If you’ve gone through it, you don’t need me to tell you how financially devastating divorce can be. Many people lose half (or more)...